Advent-3 homily: Fr. Bill Bowling December 13, 2015
Zep 3:14-18 Is
12 Phil 4:4-7 Lk 3:10-18
The third Sunday of
Advent is called Gaudete Sunday. Gaudete
is latin for “rejoice.” It means Jesus
is coming! Even the church colors
reflect the shift – the color rose is used to accent the sanctuary of the
church.
The readings are full
of the language of rejoicing. The first
reading starts with the words “shout for
joy.” The second reading gives the
instruction “rejoice in the Lord
always. Again I say, rejoice!”
Our community is full
of rejoicing. Last Tuesday Pope Francis
formally opened the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy. It is an amazing opportunity for all of us to
pass through the Door of Mercy, who is Jesus Christ himself. It is no accident that we began this Jubilee year
with the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. She who is the mother of mercy, points the
way for us to encounter her Son, who is the endless fount of mercy for us
all. And it is no accident that the year
of Mercy ends on the Solemnity of Christ the King. All of this declares both the beginning of
Christ’s victory and the culmination of his victory in the end. It pleases God to be victorious over sin and
death through us, his Church, the body of Christ, His Son. This is a great cause of rejoicing for us
all.
Today the Lord calls
us to intentionally take on that attitude of rejoicing – whether we initially
feel like it or not. It can’t come at a
better time. With little light during
the day and long hours of darkness, some of us might be tending toward
depression. In the larger world, there are events going on around us that cause
great anxiety. Society is getting
crazier all the time. World leaders speak
of current global conflicts as the beginning of World War III. Terror attacks
both domestically and globally have us wondering about our future.
However, the bible
instructs us clearly. “Have no anxiety at all. Rejoice in the Lord always.” How do we do that?
The Year of Mercy is a
doorway of hope for us all. Let Pope
Francis’ invitation to the world to enter into Divine Mercy become a mission
for each of us. Let this become a sole
objective for us. God’s mercy can change
the world. God’s mercy can stop wars. God’s mercy can diminish or eliminate chastisements. And of course, the world’s response to God’s mercy
is everything.
Do works of Mercy. The
World needs mercy right now. Let’s
strive to make mercy practical for others.
Remember
the corporal works of mercy?
Feed the hungry.
Give drink to the thirsty
Clothe the naked
Shelter the homeless
Visit the sick
Visit the imprisoned
Bury the dead.
Remember
the spiritual works of mercy?
Counsel the doubtful
Instruct the ignorant
Admonish sinners
Comfort the afflicted
Forgive offenses
Bear wrongs patiently
Pray for the living and the dead.
Also, this weekend we
begin a special outreach to those who have drifted away from the practice of
the faith. Make use of those postcards
we have in the pews. They will be a great
way to practice a work of mercy for somebody else.
Receive the Gift of Mercy. Go to
confession. Remain in a state of
grace. In the gospel John the Baptist
instructed his listeners on the virtue of repentance. We need that same virtue today. We get that virtue in the sacrament of
penance. That great sacrament where the
burden of sin gets lifted off of us and we receive the grace of renewal. Turn away from sin to believe more deeply in
Jesus. The Church asks us to go to
confession at least once per year. Just
like the church asks us to go to communion at least once per year. And, of course, confession, like communion,
is encouraged with more frequency. A
good number of people haven’t gone to confession in many years. Some are deceived into thinking they have no
sin. The truth is, we are all sinners in
need of mercy. For some, it has been so
long they have forgotten how to do the sacrament. If so, never fear. The ritual is easy and our priests are gentle. Go to confession. Turn away from sin. And receive the gift of joy that comes from
the sacrament. And lucky us, there is a
communal celebration next Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. at St. Augustine.
Pray. In the 2nd reading
Paul tells the reader to have no anxiety at all but in everything, by prayer
and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Our church is moving forward with renewal
through Divine Mercy. This renewal
begins with each of us renewing our commitment to ongoing prayer. As Catholics we have many ways to pray. Pray the rosary as a family at home. Read Sacred Scripture. Come to the church to pray before the blessed
Sacrament. During this year of Mercy,
make a commitment to pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. There are so many ways. But let us all renew our commitment to
prayerful communion with our Lord.
Good people – “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I say rejoice.” Rejoice with sharing the mercy of Jesus. Be joyful with receiving the mercy of Jesus
in the sacrament of penance. Be at peace
through a renewed commitment of prayer to God.
Dear people, Jesus is
coming soon. “So have no anxiety at
all. May the peace of God that surpasses
all understanding guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”
Advent-4 Homily: Fr. Bill Bowling December 20, 2015
Mi
5:1-4 Ps 80 Heb 10:5-10 Lk 1:39-45
The 4th Sunday of Advent means that Christmas is
almost here. Last week we rejoiced with
the beginning of the Year of Mercy and the opening of the Holy Doors for this
year. And this week we are on the
threshold of the great celebration of the birth of Jesus. Each of these candles on the Advent wreath
have been sign-posts of the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ into our world in
his first coming. They are signs of hope
for us that Christ is has come, that he is here with us, and that he is coming
again in glory.
Throughout our lifetimes, we can also consider the coming of
Jesus to us in our own times. Our own
stories of salvation are, when we reflect on them, full of signs of hope. Each of us has our own sacramental
story. The sign-posts of baptism,
confirmation, and eucharist show us God’s covenantal love for us. And the sign-posts of those moments of grace
and blessing from God show us love in a practical way. All of those signs are there – for those who
have eyes to see them.
These sign-posts are the invitation of God to us to
participate in the greater story of His plan of salvation for the whole
world. It is an awesome thing to be
chosen. It is a blessing to say “yes” in
return.
This weekend, we have the example of Mary and Elizabeth to
guide us.
Consider Mary. When
she said “yes” to God’s plan, she took a huge risk. She conceived by the Holy Spirit, but she was
betrothed to Joseph. She risked
rejection by Joseph. And if Joseph
rejected her, then so would her family and community. She risked the possibility of malicious
gossip about her for those who would not or could not see the work of God. It was a dangerous time for her.
When we consider the state of the world today, it is also an
increasing risk for people to say “yes” to God’s plan. In many places throughout the world, it is a
risk to follow Jesus – and for many this is a life threatening risk. In the secular west the risks are more
subtle. For many people, the risk of
living faith publicly is to risk being made fun of, to risk the loss of
opportunity.
And yet, recently in Time Magazine, Mary of Nazareth was
named the most powerful woman in the world.
Certainly, her original and ongoing “yes” to God has made her the most
influential woman of all time.
So let’s take a closer look at Mary’s example. In the gospel of Luke we get three distinct
steps that we can take in following the way of discipleship in the school of
Mary. And this way of discipleship leads
us to Christmas – and to the heart of her son Jesus.
So here is Mary’s way.
Step 1. Acknowledge God. When the Angel Gabriel came to Mary and
shared with her God’s plan for her and for the salvation of the world, Mary’s
final answer was a clear “yes.” She said
it so eloquently. “Let it be done to me
according to your word.” May Mary’s
words become our words too. Each day,
let’s you and I very deliberately give ourselves over to God’s will. Let’s do that with confidence that God’s
plans for us always include his love and mercy for us, and his desire to bless
us with every spiritual blessing in the heavens. That alone ought to give us a burning desire
to take step one. Acknowledge God.
Step 2. Take the next right step. This is the story of today’s gospel. After Mary said “yes” to God, she set out and
traveled to the hill country in haste.
Her “yes” to God resulted in action.
It reminds me of the command we get at the end of the Mass when the
priest says, “go forth, proclaiming the gospel with your lives.” We sing a hymn of praise to God and then we
go. We go nourished by our sacramental
encounter with Jesus to get into the world and make a difference for somebody
else. In Mary’s case, she immediately
went to her cousin Elizabeth to assist her in the final months of her pregnancy. Her journey was one of love and humble
service. Mary’s action can inspire each
and every single one of us to also take some next right steps. During this year of Mercy may we all be
inspired to go forth from this place taking the next right steps. Oftentimes those next right steps are very
practical, just like Mary’s help to Elizabeth was very practical. Remember the Works of Mercy. Let’s review them.
The corporal works
of mercy
Feed the hungry.
Give drink to the thirsty
Clothe the naked
Shelter the homeless
Visit the sick
Visit the imprisoned
Bury the dead.
The spiritual works
of mercy
Counsel the doubtful
Instruct the ignorant
Admonish sinners
Comfort the afflicted
Forgive offenses
Bear wrongs patiently
Pray for the living and the dead.
Mary’s journey of love and humble service can inspire us to
follow her example and take the next right step.
Step 3. Be a persistent sign of hope. Hope is the sign of Mary’s life. In every way she directs our attention to
Jesus who is forever the hope of the world.
Everything that Mary did was filled with grace from God. And God, who is love, always filled her
heart. More than anything else, love
always gives us hope. Events in the
world today leave so many people with an impending sense of doom. Therefore we must be a people of hope. After all, Christmas is coming, the
persistent sign of hope for all of us that Jesus has come to us, that Jesus is
with us today, and that Jesus is coming again in glory. Let us hold to these truths firmly. And in holding to these truths firmly, may
the words of blessing spoken by Elizabeth over Mary also be spoken over this
generation when she said,
“blessed are you who
believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.”
Christmas homily: Fr. Bill Bowling Dec 25, 2015
Vigil: Isaiah 62:1-5 Ps
89 Acts 13:16-17,22-25 Mt 1:1-25
Night: Isaiah 9:1-6 Ps
96 Titus 2:11-14 Luke 2:1-14
Dawn: Isaiah 62:11-12 Ps 97 Titus
3:4-7 Luke 2:15-20
Day: Isaiah 52:7-10 Ps 98 Heb
1:1-6 John 1:1-18
Merry Christmas everybody.
Here we are this evening (morning) celebrating the great feast of the
birth of Jesus. For those of you who
were praying for a white Christmas, sorry about your luck. For those who were hoping to be in Florida
for Christmas, well -- Florida weather
is visiting Kentucky – so count your blessings.
This unusual weather marks an unusual year. This year had great blessings for many. It also had many evil events creating anxiety
in people’s hearts. Radical Islam continues
its reign of terror in North Africa and the Middle East. A huge wave of refugees escaping this
violence is rushing into Europe. Russia has
entered the fray with active military intervention. China exhibits nationalistic adventurism in the
South China Sea. Pope Francis and other
world leaders referred to these conflicts as the beginning of World War
III. On the domestic front we had
significant social unrest in various places, plus an ongoing rash of mass
murders. The current state of politics
has us all scratching our heads. All of this has us wondering about what will
come next.
While these things aren’t necessarily new – humankind has
suffered violence, persecutions, wars, famines, plagues, and other disasters
since the beginning of time – it does seem that they have a particular intensity
right now. It is important for us to
recognize and name this gathering darkness in the world. It is a particular sign of our times.
Therefore it is right and good that we come to church to pray. We proclaim together that our God, who sees
all, and who knows the full measure that the darkness of sin can bring, has great
mercy on us. Isaiah the prophet foretold
it, “the people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light; upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has
shone.” St. Paul proclaimed it, as
we read from his letter to Titus, “beloved,
when the kindness and generous love of God our savior appeared, not because of
any righteous deed we had done but because of his mercy,” The light of God’s mercy is shining on us. We say boldly with the prophets, “For a
child is born to us, a son given us; They name him wonder-counselor, God-Hero,
Father-Forever, Prince of Peace.”
Now, more than ever, it is important for us to remember the
love and mercy of God, who comes to save us. Pope Francis acted in a prophetic way by
proclaiming a Year of Mercy for the whole world. Jesus himself calls all of us to pass through
His door of mercy. For those who have
drifted far away from the Lord, now is the time for you to return. For those who feel unworthy because of what
has been happening in their lives, Jesus says to you that his mercy is endless
and his love is inexhaustible. His love
and mercy are greater than the worst of our sins. His love and mercy will in fact conquer the
current wave of darkness that is washing across our world. God loves us, and has
mercy on us. Jesus is the light shining in the darkness.
Remember
the story of the Annunciation? We read this in the gospel of Luke. The angel Gabriel announced to Mary God’s
great plan to enter the human race. This
is the mystery of the incarnation, God made flesh. Mary conceived by the Holy Spirit. By God’s providence this occurred before her
marriage to Joseph to ensure that we would all understand that Jesus was born
of a virgin, in fulfillment of prophecy.
This was a huge risk for Mary. But Mary trusted in God. When she said “yes” to God’s plan, Jesus was
conceived. Our God became so very small,
entering into the womb of the virgin. God identified with the smallest of human
beings, the unborn child. God became a
sign of the life and dignity of even the smallest and most helpless of human
beings. God loves us, and has mercy on us.
Jesus is the light shining in the darkness.
Remember
the story of how Joseph learned of all this?
We read this in the gospel of Matthew.
Joseph’s first reaction was a plan to divorce Mary quietly so as not to
expose her to shame. Imagine the
emotional turmoil they were both in! It
was through the intervention of an angel – visiting Joseph in a dream – that he
said “yes” to God’s plan and took Mary into his home. Joseph trusted God. And so Emmanuel, Jesus, God with us, came to
be with the holy family. Our God
identifies with our families, warts and all.
God comes to heal our families, to reconcile us, and to unite us with
our heavenly family. God
loves us, and has mercy on us. Jesus is
the light shining in the darkness.
Remember
the story of how Joseph and Mary journeyed to Bethlehem. This is in the gospel of Luke. Mary was in her 9th month of
pregnancy when they had to journey to Bethlehem. Imagine – Mary in her 9th month
riding on a donkey! As they arrived in
Bethlehem she went into labor. There was no room in the Inn for them. They had
to take shelter in a stable. Joseph and Mary said “yes” to God’s plan. And so Jesus, our Emmanuel, was born to
us. He identifies with the poor and the
homeless. He is a sign of the life and dignity of each
and every human person, no matter the situation. God lifts up the lowly. God loves us and has mercy on us. Jesus is the light shining in the darkness.
These
stories reveal the love and mercy of God for us. At this Mass we proclaim Jesus as the Word
made flesh. And so we have proclaimed the
Word of God at this Mass. May God’s word
now take flesh in us. At this Mass we
celebrate Jesus as the bread that came down from heaven. Jesus was born in a town called
Bethlehem. The name of the town means,
“house of bread.” Jesus was laid in a manger - a feeding trough. Jesus said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven. And whoever eats this bread will have eternal
life.” In a few minutes Jesus will
offer himself to us in the most Holy Eucharist. May the body and blood, soul and divinity of
Jesus now take flesh in us, His Church.
May
our own stories now reveal the love and mercy of Jesus to the world. As the
gospel of John says, “the light shines in
the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” May the light of Jesus shine through us as a
beacon of hope to the world. This is the
great hope of Mary and Joseph. This is
the joy of the shepherds. This is
nothing less than the salvation of the human race. The angels sang with joy on the night of our
Savior’s birth. With great faith, hope
and love, we sing today.
Gloria in
excelsis Deo. Gloria in excelsis Deo.
Christmas – Holy Family December
27, 2015
Sirach
3:2-6, 12-14 Colossians
3:12-21 Luke 2:22-40
This Sunday is the 3rd day of Christmas – and it
is not the feast of three turtle doves or a partridge in a
pear tree - like the old song the 12 days of Christmas. The celebration of Christmas day is such a
big celebration in the Church that we have it for 8 days – what we call the
“octave of Christmas.” On the Sunday
within the octave of Christmas we celebrate the feast of the Holy Family. And the Christmas season keeps going all the
way until the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord – this year celebrated on
Sunday, January 11.
Today we have Joseph, Mary, and Jesus - the Holy Family – as
an image for our contemplation. Lots of
times our experience of the Holy Family is in nativity scenes or holy cards or
statues. They always look so beautiful
and peaceful. Their stories, taken from
the gospel of Luke, are the focus of prayer in the joyful mysteries of the
rosary.
The scriptures show us that the joyful mysteries reflect
their trust in God in the midst of difficult circumstances.
Consider the 1st mystery – the
annunciation. Mary’s “yes” to God’s plan
meant that she had to trust God by agreeing to a divine origin of her pregnancy
before her marriage. This was a huge
risk that nearly ended with Joseph’s intention to divorce her until an angel
intervened. Mary and Joseph trusted
God.
Consider the 3rd mystery – the
nativity. Mary and Joseph had to travel
to Bethlehem at the very end of her pregnancy.
Then the time came for her to give birth but there was nowhere for them
to go except a stable. Mary and Joseph
trusted God.
Consider the 4th
mystery – our gospel today. Mary and Joseph
brought Jesus to the temple to present him to the Lord, according to the law of
Moses. Remember the words of the prophet
Simeon to Mary – “this child is destined
for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be
contradicted – and you yourself a sword will pierce – so that the thoughts of
many hearts may be revealed.” He
recognized Jesus as the promised messiah and then he prophesied the sorrows of
Mary. So why are these mysteries
joyful? Because Mary and Joseph trusted
God, and God used all of this for the greatest blessing – our redemption.
How did the Holy Family do it? How did they trust in God considering all of
their circumstances? For that matter,
how can we do it? How can our families
be holy families? After all, the odds are
against us, if you look at national statistics.
Just getting a family started and then trying to keep it together can be
a daunting task.
The scriptures give us some good practical examples of how
to be a holy family.
From both the book of Sirach and from the letter to the
Colossians the key word is respect.
Respect for parents. Respect
between husbands and wives. The truth is
that respect can carry us a long way toward the exercise of greater virtues in
our lives. St. Thomas Aquinas said that grace
builds on nature. So when we exercise
natural virtue, it provides more room in our hearts for the supernatural
virtues. Respect is a natural
virtue. Piety and wonder and awe are
supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Good old fashioned manners are a marvelous way to practice
the virtue of respect. From “please” and
“thank you” to the finer points of acting like ladies and gentlemen, the virtue
of respect can be the glue that holds together a family, just as it is the glue
that can hold together a society.
All of us know that there has been a rise in uncivil public
behavior through this past generation.
Course language, course gestures, course humor, and an increasing lack
of respect has affected our society to the point that uncivil behavior has been
accepted as quite normal. Consider the
events in our own country in 2014. We
have seen a rise in lawlessness that should deeply concern us.
Shall we do something that will have a positive effect on
family life and on society? Let’s do something
counter cultural and cultivate formal manners and civil discourse within our
own community. They give us practical
means of respect. Not sure what to work
on? Have a family meeting and make a
list of civil behaviors to cultivate in the family. Behaviors that exemplify respect in the way
we talk and clothe ourselves and act towards one another. Then, help each other in positive ways to
work on respectful and respectable behavior.
All of us can work on this in the coming year.
Of course, God wants us to go deeper than just mere good manners. After all, even good manners can become cold
and demanding expectations. That’s not
appealing either.
Listen to the words of St. Paul. He said this:
“Put on, as God’s chosen ones,
holy and beloved, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and
patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another… and over all
these put on love, that is, the bond of perfection. And let the peace of Christ control your hearts.” Wow.
We all want to live in a family and a community that acts that way. Ghandi, the leader of India’s independence in
the last century once said this – “be the
change you want.”
Husbands, love and cherish your wives in the way that she
would like to be loved and cherished.
Wives, love and respect your husbands in the way that he would like to
be loved and respected. Not sure what
that is? Easy. Ask each other. Give each other concrete examples. Decide together what to work on as a family
for next year and then make a plan to do it.
Parents, the best gift you will ever give your children is to show them
how to love and respect another person.
You show them and they will give it back to you. The same is true with priests and
parishes. We are all in this together.
Pray together as a family.
In order to have the supernatural virtues of love and joy and peace we
need to give God room to work in our families.
Pray together every day. The
rosary and scripture reading are two very good tools for family prayer. The Church gives us lots of options
here. But pray together. This will lead us to trust in God no matter
what the circumstances, just like Joseph, Mary, and Jesus.
We need holy families.
The world desperately needs holy families that are filled with heartfelt
compassion, humility, patience, love, and peace. God’s plan for your family and for mine is
that we grow as God’s holy family – the communion of saints. This is how we all become a persistent sign
of hope in an increasingly darkened world - just like Joseph, Mary, and Jesus,
the Holy Family, are an eternal sign of hope for us all.
Christmas
– Epiphany homily: Fr. Bill Bowling January 3, 2016
Isaiah
60:1-6 Psalm 72 Eph 3:2-3,5-6 Matt 2:1-12
This Sunday is the 10th day of Christmas. Today we celebrate the Epiphany. Now, in Catholic calendars past, when it was
easier to get people to come to Holy Days of Obligation, we had the Epiphany on
the 12th Day – January 6. But
in this age of the Church the solemnity of the Epiphany is transferred to
Sunday so that more of the faithful can be present for the Mass. So here we are. Christmas isn’t over – there is still much
joy unfolding. So – Merry Christmas
everybody. We will keep celebrating
Christmas all the way until the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, which will be
celebrated next week Sunday January 10. On
that day the Christmas season ends and Ordinary Time begins.
And yet, there is a little more to come. There is a tradition in the church that keeps
a bit of Christmas going all the way until February 2, the feast of the
Presentation of the Lord. On that feast we
remember when Joseph and Mary brought Jesus to the temple for his presentation,
and Old Simeon recognized the Messiah and prophesied over Jesus and Mary. That celebration is also called “candlemas”
when people bring candles to be blessed and used in the home. So don’t be surprised if you see a few
poinsettias lingering in the church, and perhaps the images of Mary, Joseph,
and the baby Jesus in a place of honor until Feb 2. We need more Christmas joy in the world, so
let’s keep the fullness of the Christmas season and the Christmas traditions in
our churches and in our homes.
Christmas joy is all about the manifestation of Jesus as the
Messiah. That is what the word Epiphany
means – manifestation – unveiling. All
through the Christmas season, we get to see how Jesus was manifested. We hear the story about who had the eyes of
faith to see his manifestation, and who was blind to his manifestation.
Let’s consider the story today. On the feast of the Epiphany we hear the
story of the magi from the east arriving in Jerusalem.
First, let’s consider who in the story had the eyes of faith
to behold the Messiah – the magi. The
magi are generally understood to be Persian astrologers. And how, you might ask, would Persian
astrologers be interested in the promised Messiah? Remember when Judah was conquered by Babylon
and were brought into captivity there for 70 years? This was the time of Daniel the prophet. Daniel had many prophecies about the coming
Messiah. We could assume that the magi
had access to Hebrew scriptures. So
perhaps they kept the traditions that Daniel handed on to them. When they recognized
the signs of his birth written into the celestial dance in the heavens, they
undertook the long journey from Persia to Jerusalem to find him.
The Magi had eyes of faith.
The magi desired to see the Messiah.
They studied. They looked for the
signs. Because of their faith and their
desire, it pleased God to unveil the mystery to them. They followed the star. And the star led them to Jesus.
Now, let’s consider who was blind to the birth of Jesus --
Herod and the religious leaders in the temple.
When Herod received the magi and heard their story, notice the
reaction. He was “greatly troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.” Both the political leadership and the
spiritual leadership reacted to the news of the Messiah not with joy but by “being
troubled.” When Herod questioned the
chief priests and the scribes about the prophecies concerning the Messiah, they
easily remembered the prophecies about where he was to be born. These were the people who more than anyone
else should have been able to see the signs and recognize the time of the
Messiah. But they did not. They did not have the eyes of faith. They did not desire this. Instead they were troubled by this. Their pride and their sin blinded them. And
in the end, pride and selfish ambition led them to have murder in their
hearts. Herod attempted to kill Jesus by
sending his soldiers to Bethlehem to kill all the baby boys. Years later, the chief priests did in fact
kill Jesus by sending him to the cross.
Epiphany, manifestation, unveiling. Today we gather for Mass so that we, like the
magi, can have the eyes of faith and the desire to see Jesus. For he is truly being revealed in our day and
our time. This is the generation and
this is the time for a new epiphany. The
Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy will reveal the mercy of Jesus in
extraordinary ways.
In Hebrews 11:6 it is written, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for anyone who
approaches God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek
him.”
During this year of Mercy, let’s put that scripture to the
test. Jesus is asking you and me to step out in faith. Jesus is asking us to seek him through prayer
and through searching. And Jesus is
asking each of us to become instruments of mercy for someone else. They will not know the mercy of Jesus unless
his church is also merciful. That begins
with you and with me. How can we get
started? Let’s review the works of
mercy.
The corporal works of
mercy
Feed the hungry.
Give drink to the thirsty
Clothe the naked
Shelter the homeless
Visit the sick
Visit the imprisoned
Bury the dead.
The spiritual works
of mercy
Counsel the doubtful
Instruct the ignorant
Admonish sinners
Comfort the afflicted
Forgive offenses
Bear wrongs patiently
Pray for the living and the dead
Let’s do this church! May the vision and the courage of the magi inspire us during these days
of Christmas. May the words of the
prophet Isaiah come to life in us. For
it is written,
See, darkness covers
the earth, and thick clouds cover the peoples; but upon you the Lord shines,
and over you appears his glory. Nations
shall walk by your light, and kings by your shining radiance.
We are stewards of his grace, his mercy, and his light. This is the new epiphany of Jesus, who comes
in glory with salvation for his people.
